Sights & Sounds – July 3

Published Jul 2, 2013 at 7:36 am
(Updated Jun 28, 2013 at 10:46 am)

‘12 Angry Jurors’

The MasterWorks Festival returns to Bethel Park at 7 p.m. July 8 for a performance of “12 Angry Jurors,” an adaptation of “12 Angry Men,” at the South Hills Church of the Nazarene, Bethel Park. Admission is free. For more information, visit www.masterworksfestival.org.

‘Avenue Q’ contest

Stage 62’s production of “Avenue Q” is looking for a new lyric to replace the words “George Bush” in the song “For Now.” The winner will receive two tickets to a performance of “Avenue Q” at Stage 62 and hear their lyrics incorporated into the show’s finale.

“We are looking for something fresh, fun and possibly even local to Pittsburgh,” said Stephen Santa, director of the production. The word, or phrase, should be a person, place or thing – preferably with two syllables.

Here is the original lyric:

“Sex-is only for now!

Your hair-is only for now!

George Bush-is only for now!”

To submit an entry, email the new lyric and your name to avenueQcontest@stage62.org. Deadline for submissions is July 8. The winner will be notified via email.

Stage 62’s rendition of “Avenue Q” will run at the Andrew Carnegie Free Library and Music Hall, 8 p.m. July 18-20 and 25-27 and 2 p.m. July 21 and 28. Tickets are $18 for seniors and $15 for students and can be purchased by calling 412-429-6262 or visiting www.stage62.org.

Photo contest

The Pennsylvania Resources Council (PRC) sponsors its 28th annual Lens On Litter Photo Contest, with a deadline of Oct. 31. Use your camera to identify the worst examples of litter in your Pennsylvania community.

The contest is open to amateur photographers only. For more information, call Pennsylvania Resources Council at 610-353-1555.

Musical auditions

Pittsburgh CLO will hold auditions for the staged reading of the new musical “Judge Jack Justice, The Trails of Love,” directed by Van Kaplan. Principal actors must be available Sept. 30-Oct. 5.

Needed are five actors who can sing well. The parts include Jackie, female-50s, mezzo, belt, a sharp-witted, cynical television judge; Henry, 40s, tenor, Jackie’s mild-mannered, insecure bailiff; Shane, 40s, baritone, smarmy television executive, also plays several small roles, including Jackie’s pompous ex-husband, a government agent, a ventriloquist and a zombie; woman No. 1, 20-30s, versatile singer, mix and belt abilities, plays a variety of roles and man No. 1, 20-30s, versatile singer, plays a variety of roles.

Auditioners can meet by appointment, 10 a.m.- 6 p.m. July 27 at the CLO Academy. Callbacks will be made by July 28. Call or email to schedule an audition time.

Auditioners should prepare two songs of their best material; one up-tempo and one balled. Bring legible sheet music in the correct key. Applications can be downloaded from www.pittsburghclo.org/pages/clo_auditions or picked up at the audition. Requests for an audition appointment should be emailed to CabaretAuditions@pittsburghclo.org, and include a preferred time range, which will be honored as sign-ups permit. If email is not available, call 412-281-3973 ext. 234.

ToonSeum exhibit

The ToonSeum, Pittsburgh’s Museum of Comic and Cartoon Art, is exhibiting seven decades’ worth of original art from cartooning’s highest honor, The Reuben Award, through Aug. 11.

This is the first time in the organization’s history that original art from these legendary artists has been assembled in one exhibition. Rare works seldom seen by the public from artists such as Gary Larson of Far Side, Charles M. Schulz of Peanuts, and many more will be displayed.

• Partnering with 16 cartoonists and 15 organizations, the ToonSeum has created “Oakland,” a new visitors guide featuring short comic vignettes of great Oakland venues, including The Original Hot Dog Shop, Phipps Conservatory and the Cathedral of Learning. It is free to the public.

Hollywood Theater

The Hollywood Theater, Dormont, announces its July schedule, including the triumphant return of “The Rocky Horror Picture Show” at midnight on July 27. This is a special 35 mm screening and will include the Junior Chamber of Commerce Players, Pittsburgh’s official Rocky Horror floorshow cast. Get tickets early at www.showclix.com/event/rockyhorrorjuly2013.

• “La Playa, D.C.,” 7:30 p.m. July 3. In this drama, Tomas, an Afro-Colombian teenager who fled the country’s Pacific coast pushed out by the war, faces the difficulties of growing up in a city of exclusion and racism. When his younger brother disappears, Tomas plunges in the streets of the city and his search becomes an initiatory journey that compels him to face his past and find his own identity.

• “Computer Chess,” 7:30 p.m. July 11. This nerd culture comedy is set during a 1980s weekend tournament for chess software programmers and transports viewers to a nostalgic moment when the contest between technology and the human spirit seemed a little more up for grabs.

Sign up at gathr.us/series/dormont-previews for a membership that costs $19 for a month or $49 for three months, for a savings off of the regular box office price, or pay the regular price of $7 at the door for any movie.

Schedules are subject to change. Call the theater at 412-563-0368 or check the Hollywood’s Facebook page (www.facebook.com/HollywoodTheaterDormont) and website (www.thehollywooddormont.org) for updates.

Book signing

International war crimes investigator John Cencich, author of “The Devil’s Garden: A War Crimes Investigator’s Story,” will sign his new book from 6-7:30 p.m. July 12 at Barnes & Noble, South Hills Village Mall.

Cencich was the senior American investigator at the United Nations International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia at The Hague in the Netherlands.

“The Devil’s Garden” has a strong Pittsburgh connection. In the late 1800s, some of Cencich’s ancestors immigrated to the United States, including Pittsburgh. In fact, an entire chapter – “Mala Jaska” – is devoted to how this small enclave of Pittsburgh’s working-class Croats remains ironically connected to Cencich who, as a U.S. federal agent, returned to the Balkans a century after his great-grandfather first set foot on Ellis island.

Dr. Cencich is a tenured full professor at California University of Pennsylvania, where he teaches international crime and security, organized crime and advanced criminal investigation. He holds a doctorate in international law from the University of Notre Dame and previously served a special attachment with Scotland Yard.

Meadows entertainment

The Meadows Racetrack & Casino announce its entertainment line-up for July with a mix of national and local performers. All shows are free admission.